“Forty Day Pilgrimage”

By

Emilio Chaviano

February 21, 2012

I recently became aware The Way, a film with Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez. The story is about what happens to these characters along the way to the Shrine of St. James in the city of Santiago in northern Spain. The idea of people going of long pilgrimages inspired by religious motivations is an ancient and interesting one. Christians are preparing to enter a period of spiritual preparation called Lent. Regardless of your spiritual or religious orientation I want to invite you to go on a symbolic journey for the next forty days. This is for those of us who would like to see some profound change in an important aspect of our lives. It is a journey of faith because we don’t know where it will lead. The pilgrimage begins tomorrow and the most difficult step is to decide you want to join and try this personal quest. I assure you that our pilgrimage together has nothing to do with “giving up” anything. On the contrary, we will find new things  to add to our lives. Let us begin by imagining the person we want to be in forty days and how you’d like to change. Bring an imaginary backpack, so that we can place in it reminders of the lessons we learn along The Way.